14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at Bungie has managed to get through a successful beta period for Destiny and is still preparing for the full launch, but the company is not too busy to talk about the way they are trying to enhance the impact of skies on the game experience.
The official site has an interview with Mark Goldsworthy, one of the members of the art team working on the title, who explains that he is basically treating the sky as another character in the experience and aims to make sure that mountains, epic vistas and other features of the landscape inform the player about the scope of the game.
He states, “We’d created great skies in Reach, but we wanted to incorporate ever-changing lighting and atmospherics in Destiny. Transitioning from day to night with clouds, sunrises, and sunsets was the goal. We wanted them to be visually stunning and unique to each planet. Additionally, we layered in unique planetary sky and terrain elements to expand our universe. Above all else, the skies needed to be epic.”
The artist says that his team works closely with other groups inside Bungie to make sure that skies and playable areas mesh well.
Gamers need to be able to devote their full attention to combat at certain times, while also having the freedom to simply look around and notice the skies when they have managed to secure a location.
Mark Goldsworthy adds, “Sky and atmosphere really help establish the mood. The sky needs to be dynamic. It’s made of many individual components that move and change as celestial bodies travel from horizon to horizon. They feed player immersion and enable us to flesh out the worlds we create on a broader canvas.”
The developer believes that the most impressive skies in Destiny are those that can be seen on the Martian map during the dawn and the sunrise sequences.
Destiny will be launched on the Xbox One, the PlayStation 4 and last-gen consoles on September 9 of this year.
Gamers who get the title on Sony platforms will be able to access exclusive content which might not be offered on other devices for more than one year.
Destiny offers a classic first-person shooter experience at its core, but it is also integrating elements from the massive multiplayer online and the role-playing game genres.
The team at Bungie says that it expects the game to be very popular both with solo-focused players and with gamers who have a competitive streak.
